The message above was left on the vehicle of someone enjoying Bald Pate Mountain recently. We received a report from another individual of a similar message left on their car at Bald Pate on another occasion. We have blurred out the expletives. To be clear: in both cases, the individuals were wearing blaze orange and enjoying the trails in the middle of the day, which is in line with our guidance on using our trails during hunting season.

First and foremost, we expect every single user of our properties to respect the land and fellow users. These places are - by design - for everyone.

We are choosing to share incidents of mistreatment because there has been an uptick in the disrespect of our lands, trails, and the people who enjoy them this year. Every incident like this causes us to re-evaluate the use guidelines of our lands. We need our community to hold each other accountable in order to ensure everyone feels welcome on LELT lands and trails. Behavior like this is unacceptable.

If you ever feel unwelcome on LELT lands, please contact us at 207-647-4352, or by emailing info@lelt.org. We want to hear from you.

A few important reminders:

- Hikers - Please wear blaze orange (don't forget your dogs!) and avoid hiking during peak hunting hours (early morning and later in the afternoon).

- Hunters - We ask that you are aware of where popular hiking trails are. We have many properties throughout the Lake Region where there are no formal trail networks, or where hiking trails are concentrated on one area of the property. We are happy to send you information on these places and how to access them. Reach out.

- For more information on our land use policies: https://www.lelt.org/useguidelines

- Hunting season dates in Maine: https://www.maine.gov/.../season-dates-bag-limits.html

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